CCP Games – VG247http://www.vg247.com
VG247.comFri, 09 Dec 2016 16:15:23 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.3Why did World of Darkness die? New sources tell allhttp://www.vg247.com/2014/06/05/world-of-darkness-ccp-games-why-did-it-die-new-sources/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/06/05/world-of-darkness-ccp-games-why-did-it-die-new-sources/#commentsThu, 05 Jun 2014 11:22:21 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=476543World of Darkness was cancelled by EVE Online’s CCP Games this year, but its almost-decade long transition from an intriguing idea to doomed project is shrouded in mystery. New sources have come forward to give their account of what happened during the MMO’s slow death.

Sources speaking with The Guardian have depicted a troubled and volatile atmosphere surrounding the project, along with the revelation that the MMO entered alpha phase on three separate occasions, following big changes.

CCP purchased tabletop gaming firm White Wolf in 2006 ad immediately put it to work on World of Darkness, a game that was said to feature the same open sandbox hallmarks of EVE. However, former CCP employee Nick Blood said, “On many different occasions throughout the years I was there, CCP would often ‘poach’ WoD staff for expansion projects,”

“There were plenty of developers who would get redirected to create Eve content for three to six month cycles… During these times, World of Darkness development was significantly slowed down. I remember the upper management often exasperatedly trying to figure out what to do with the remaining staff for a six-month period while their artists and programmers were busy elsewhere.”

This shifting of resources caused World of Darkness development to stutter many times over the years, which led to revisions and those three separate alpha versions.

Blood said of the tests, “I tested it myself, on two different occasions out of those three. With the first playtest, I was amazed at how little of the core game was there – at this point the game had been in development for over half a decade. I mean, there was just nothing, literally nothing, for someone like me, a complete outsider to the WOD IP, to appreciate.

“Other testers who were familiar with it thought it was great that they could finally see their avatars ‘diablerise’ – or consume – other player’s corpses, for health, or something. I just kind of shook my head and wondered how this would ever draw in anything other than die-hard fans.

“On the second play test, quite some time later, I was struck by how much had changed – and yet remained unfinished. The flagship achievement was a new movement system, made after scrapping the old one, which was similar to the Assassin’s Creed gameplay – with mantling walls, etc. But it was very basic in comparison. CCP was quite self-congratulatory on achieving this much, and the internal propaganda was that this kind of movement system would revolutionise MMO gaming.”

The Guardian’s report goes on like this, covering everything from coders having to discard reams of work, developers being unable to answer basic gameplay questions and more.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/06/05/world-of-darkness-ccp-games-why-did-it-die-new-sources/feed/6EVE: Valkyrie gets new pre-alpha footage & gorgeous screenshttp://www.vg247.com/2014/05/02/eve-valkyrie-gets-new-pre-alpha-footage-gorgeous-screens/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/02/eve-valkyrie-gets-new-pre-alpha-footage-gorgeous-screens/#respondFri, 02 May 2014 08:22:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=469059EVE: Valkyrie developer CCP Games has posted a ton of new pre-alpha images and fresh footage out of its Fanfest event, and it’s all looking rather lovely.

It all came out over the EVE: Valkyrie Twitter feed last night. We’ve got a screen gallery below. Have a gander.

EVE Valkyrie is coming to PC and PS4, with both Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus support.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/02/eve-valkyrie-gets-new-pre-alpha-footage-gorgeous-screens/feed/0Eve Online Recall Program announced, gives free game time to absent playershttp://www.vg247.com/2014/04/04/eve-online-recall-program-announced-gives-free-game-time-to-absent-players/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/04/04/eve-online-recall-program-announced-gives-free-game-time-to-absent-players/#commentsFri, 04 Apr 2014 08:23:18 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=462343Eve Online developer CCP Games has unveiled its new Recall Program, which looks to get absent players back into the game. I’d make a Total Recall joke because the game’s set in space, but it’d likely be shit.

The Eve Online: Recall Program was announced over on the CCP blog, which will allow players to gift seven days of free game time to their friends in exchange for rewards. It is hope that the incentive will get absent players back into the fold.

Inviting members can only claim rewards three times in a month, but it sounds like it could be a decent scheme to get people back.

Said CCP, “It is our ongoing mission to reduce the barriers for players joining – and rejoining – Eve Online so you can continue creating more unforgettable experiences together.”

The rewards in question range from items of player clothing, to free PLEX and even a cosmetic ship skin blueprint copy for the Mackinaw Exhumer – The Mackinaw ORE Development edition
PLEX.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/04/04/eve-online-recall-program-announced-gives-free-game-time-to-absent-players/feed/3Oculus acquisition: Carmack still coding for VR firm as developers weigh-in on newshttp://www.vg247.com/2014/03/26/oculus-acquisition-carmack-still-coding-for-vr-firm-as-developers-weigh-in-on-news/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/03/26/oculus-acquisition-carmack-still-coding-for-vr-firm-as-developers-weigh-in-on-news/#respondWed, 26 Mar 2014 09:39:05 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=459762Facebook’s acquisition of virtual reality firm Oculus VR stunned many gamers and companies last night, prompting a mass reaction online. Several developers have stepped forward to comment on the matter, including id Software founder John Carmack, who has confirmed he is still onboard with the firm.

Meanwhile, EVE: Valkyrie developer CCP Games is continuing on with Oculus Rift development. Its space dogfighting sim was poised launch alongside the headset’s commercial release, and that still seems to be the case. Speaking with Engadget, chief marketing officer David Reid said of the deal, “We’re very excited for our friends and colleagues at Oculus. We share their vision about the future of VR and gaming and are looking forward to participating in the consumer launch of the Oculus Rift with EVE: Valkyrie.”

Last night we reported that Mojang founder Markus Persson has pulled plans to release an Oculus version of Minecraft, stating that “Facebook creeps me out.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/03/26/oculus-acquisition-carmack-still-coding-for-vr-firm-as-developers-weigh-in-on-news/feed/0EVE: True Stories graphic novel released by Dark Horse, re-tells actual battles from CCP’s sandboxhttp://www.vg247.com/2014/02/20/eve-true-stories-graphic-novel-released-by-dark-horse-re-tells-actual-battles-from-ccps-sandbox/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/02/20/eve-true-stories-graphic-novel-released-by-dark-horse-re-tells-actual-battles-from-ccps-sandbox/#commentsThu, 20 Feb 2014 12:41:46 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=450220EVE Online is known for its large, player-driven battles and tales of betrayal, heroism and war. Developer CCP Games and Dark Horse have teamed up to release issue #1 of its EVE: True Stories graphic novel series, which adapts those real battles into comic stories.

In a press release sent to VG247 today, CCP confirmed that issue #1 is called ‘Thieves Among Us’ and re-tells the fall of real player alliance Band of Brothers. The crew was brought to its knees on February 5, 2009 by one player, an event that remains something of an MMO Legend to this day.

It’s been adapted by Wolverine Origins and Deadpool writer Daniel Way and features artwork from Tomm Coker of Daredevil Noir and Near Death fame. Aliens and Heavy Metal artist David Palumbo has designed the cover.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/02/20/eve-true-stories-graphic-novel-released-by-dark-horse-re-tells-actual-battles-from-ccps-sandbox/feed/5Eve Online: The Bloodbath of B-R5RB stats break down the game’s biggest battle to datehttp://www.vg247.com/2014/01/30/eve-online-the-bloodbath-of-b-r5rb-stats-break-down-the-games-biggest-battle-to-date/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/30/eve-online-the-bloodbath-of-b-r5rb-stats-break-down-the-games-biggest-battle-to-date/#commentsThu, 30 Jan 2014 12:22:00 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=444682Eve Online developer CCP Games has sent out a bunch of stats, videos and insight into The Bloodbath of B-R5RB, which saw over 7,000 players battle for hours over control of a region of space, and amounted to real-world damages worth over $300,000.

In a press release sent to VG247, The Bloodbath of B-R5RB was confirmed to have lasted over 21 hours, with 7,500 players taking part, with 2,670 in the system at one time.

The fight resulted in 11 Trillion ISK in damages, which is valued at roughly $300,000-$330,000 with 75 of the game’s largest vessels completely obliterated.

You can find a full recap of why the bloodbath began and how it played out over on the Eve Online forum.

What do you make of the battle? Let us know below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/30/eve-online-the-bloodbath-of-b-r5rb-stats-break-down-the-games-biggest-battle-to-date/feed/3Eve Online’s biggest battle resulted in over $200,000 in damageshttp://www.vg247.com/2014/01/28/eve-onlines-biggest-battle-is-happening-right-now/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/28/eve-onlines-biggest-battle-is-happening-right-now/#commentsTue, 28 Jan 2014 12:45:59 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=443934Eve Online is known for its big battles and high-cost defeats, but last night, some 2,000 players took part in an online war with real-world damage costs reaching over $200,000.

The battle saw many corporations getting involved and is said to have claimed over 70 Titan-class ships. The most valuable ship to fall was said to be worth $5,000 in real-world money.

The shit-storm kicked off when Nulli Secunda and Pandemic Legion lost their hold on sector B-R5RB, giving rival corporation RUS a window to muscle its way in, backed up by the notorious Clusterfuck Coalition.

PCGamesN has a full report on the messy affair. Check it out through the link.

In a press release sent to VG247 today, CCP confirmed that the new Minmatar combat rifle and Caldari rail rifle join the Gallente assault rifle and and Amarr scrambler rifle to bolster New Eden’s armoury. You’ll find a ton of weapon stats, range profiles and handling details over on the DUST 514 blog.

Next, Uprising 1.7 has overhauled DUST 514’s vehicles with improved handling to allow for fluid transition across stretches of terrain. There’s also a dedicated post on the matter here.

CCP has also added in a new Volcanic mood to environments, resulting in areas thick with ash and smoke, where magma and debris rains down from the skies above. Toasty!

Finally, Factional warfare has been re-tooled, so that Orbital Strikes called in from EVE Online can only be earned by capsuleers capturing satellites orbiting the contested planet below. If you complete a Factional contract you will earn Loyalty Points that can be spent on Faction-specific weapons. You’ll find details here.

In a statement, Hilmar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games said, “EVE Fanfest is our chance to bring our community together in Reykjavik, the birthplace of the EVE Universe, and further forge our connection with the greatest gamers in the world. Every year we look forward to the revelry in the scenic setting of Iceland and to making announcements, connecting with our community and last but not least, celebrating like true Vikings! EVE Fanfest is an experience like no other and is not to be missed.”

Will you be going? Let us know below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/11/26/eve-fanfest-2014-tickets-on-sale-now-ccp-dates-details-the-show/feed/0Eve Online: Rubicon cinematic trailer builds up to new expansionhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/11/15/eve-online-rubicon-cinematic-trailer-builds-up-to-new-expansion/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/11/15/eve-online-rubicon-cinematic-trailer-builds-up-to-new-expansion/#commentsFri, 15 Nov 2013 11:32:36 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=427254Eve: Online’s 20th free expansion Rubicon is going to be a real game-changer. Developer CCP Games has posted the update’s cinematic trailer online, leading up to its November 19 launch.

Why will it be a game-changer you ask? Well, you’ll need to read my interview with CCP’s David Reid on Monday to find that out. I know, I’m a teasing prick amn’t I? Sorry.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/11/15/eve-online-rubicon-cinematic-trailer-builds-up-to-new-expansion/feed/1EVE: Valkyrie and the future: how CCP Games looks for life beyond the starshttp://www.vg247.com/2013/10/22/eve-valkyrie-and-the-future-how-ccp-games-looks-for-life-beyond-the-stars/
Tue, 22 Oct 2013 07:53:07 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=418187EVE: Valkyrie is just one new evolution developer CCP Games is bringing to the online world of Tranquility. VG247’s Dave Cook speaks with company CEO Hilmar Petursson to learn more about the future of Eve Online.

I first saw Hilmar Petursson at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival in 2007. He was talking about how his company’s space game Eve Online was growing across the world, and how Scotland’s rats were chewing through Iceland’s internet cables, making development of the game quite difficult.

His lecture blew my mind. I had only heard of Eve Online in passing and the prospect of a world that offered full autonomy in the MMO space was both intimidating and awe-inspiring. I struggled to comprehend how such a landscape could exist and picture what players could do there. We were told that people could become legends on their own terms without CCP’s interventio, and he stressed that the evolution of Tranquility would be dictated by the people. That philosophy has remained to this day.

While CCP makes the content, Eve Online’s growth and steady stream of free updates are steered by the player-base. If conflict is lacking, the studio will stoke the fires of war by throwing in a bounty system. The same is true of EVE: Valkyrie, an Oculus Rift-powered dog-fight simulator that aims to lend more immersion to the game’s PvP component. The VR device is proving quite popular at the moment, so it’s natural that Petursson’s team is bringing it into the fold.

I caught up with Petursson recently to discuss the development of EVE: Valkyrie and to touch upon Eve Online’s long-tail success. The fact that it’s still a subscription-based MMO with a steady volume of players suggests it is doing many things right, while other studios submit to the free-to-play model. I wanted to explore how the team approached this issue, and how the game might evolve moving forward.

“We were one of the early adopters on Kickstarter last year,” Petursson said of Oculus Rift. “I remember seeing it thinking, ‘Woah that’s awesome, let’s be backers of that.’ Also, some guys at the company also backed it with their own money. They were playing around with it, and there was a team that played together at the office earlier in the year, and they were trying to figure out where this could go. Out of that came a tech demo that was in like a cantina, just sitting around. It was cool because you looked down and you saw your own body. I was like, ‘wait a minute, I’m not wearing this shirt, this is unreal!’

Petursson was convinced, and over time the EVE: Valkyrie concept was born. It was first shown off at CCP’s yearly Fan Fest event in Reykjavík, and then at E3. Feedback from both fans and critics proved positive and this told Petursson and his team that it had the beginning of a new arm in Eve’s ever-growing world. It’s coming out in 2014 and for now it’s viewed internally as an extension of the core Eve universe, rather than an integral part of the experience.

“It is a separate product,” Petursson continued. “Lately we’ve been thinking more about how the EVE universe has many products in it with Eve Online, DUST 514 and now with Valkyrie. It will still all happen in the same universe, so as you might be playing Valkyrie, earning some impact there, it will in some way affect the whole organic universe. I mean that was a huge focus for us in the beginning, but there’s just such an epic opportunity to make it all connected.”

Petrusson clarified that while the aim is to have events in Valkyrie bleed into the wider EVE universe, CCP won’t start as strongly with that angle as it has done previously. He’s keen to have the team focus on gameplay first, seeing as it’s a faster, more immediate experience that its parent EVE Online. “It’s definitely action-orientated dog-fighting,” he stressed. It’s doing things that are very complicated to do in EVE Online in that EVE Online is very involved, very strategic and has a different pace to it. It takes six hours to gather 2,000 people together to try and conquer the universe, but Valkyrie is meant to be a little more ‘dig in-dig out,’ fast-paced with smaller teams, smaller spaces and with fighters rather than cruisers.”

As with all things EVE, the studio has reached this point by looking at what the fan base wants. I’ve interviewed CCP many times now and I’ve been told repeatedly that this was an established method of design since the beginning. “For us it’s maybe less about the content and more about the players, and what they’re doing together or against each other,” Petursson continued. “It all revolves around this synchronised sandbox where everyone is playing in the same universe with the same experience more or less.

“By doing that you are less reliant on putting out updates or new content, because it’s really that the players are the content of that world. Some of the most amazing things that happen in EVE Online are just players doing things, like the Battle of Asakai earlier this year, where a guy accidentally pushes the wrong button and then like [makes explosion sound and laughs].”

So can this reliance on player-driven, emergent moments and ‘content’ continue for another ten years of Eve Online? It seems that steps are already being taken to keep the player-base ticking over, with CCP-hosted beginner seminars being held to ease newcomers into the often-harsh world of Tranquility. Factor in rolling updates, the presence of DUST 514 and soon enough, EVE Valkyrie, and all of this can only serve to help the brand flourish.

“The game just keeps growing,” Petursson explained. “That’s because new people constantly come into it. We haven’t necessarily seen a huge uptake per se, as we’re still polishing off the start of the experience. That part could still use a lot of work, like starting out in EVE Online takes a while to figure out what it’s all about. It’s a strength and weakness of these open-ended, emergent things where the game goes on forever and all that. We will continue to organise the UI, keep the game fresh to the best of our abilities, and we see a lot of user interface and experience innovations just happening in the world.

“It’s a vibrant field, and of course mobile phones and things like that make us really think about user interface experiences, and informs how people do applications and things like that. We will continue to bring this into EVE, to make it fresh, to make it modern, to make it as slick as we can so it doesn’t feel like you’re playing a ten-year-old game. I mean it is ten years old, but it looks amazing. I look at some of the screenshots and just think, ‘jesus christ!” [laughs]”

He concluded, “It feels that even though I’ve been doing this for a decade, [Eve Online] is just beginning. It’s going to out-live us all, our best work is ahead of us. That’s because the game is expanding and growing, becoming different and unpredictable because of all the players doing all these amazing things, inspiring us.”

Eurogamer reports that the hour-long seminars will start tonight at 5pm UK time and will focus on a monthly topic. From today until November 19 the topic is PvP combat, earning ISK and how to be a useful part of a corporation. To participate, just go to the New Player Training Session section of the game and get stuck in.

A post on the CCP Blog explains why the studio is holding the sessions in the first place.

“But why are we doing this?” it asks, “The simple fact is a lot of players come into the game and are overwhelmed by what they find. Teaching them in a structured fashion like this can help them get into New Eden more quickly and get them out there interacting with other players. Your corporations and alliances will benefit, either by having better-trained recruits, more informed customers, or even targets more willing to come out and fight you.”

Do you think this is a good idea? Let us know what you think below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/10/10/eve-online-dev-ccp-hosting-training-sessions-for-newcomers-starting-tonight/feed/0EVE Online: 96% of players are male, CCP fine with thathttp://www.vg247.com/2013/06/04/eve-online-96-of-players-are-male-ccp-fine-with-that/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/04/eve-online-96-of-players-are-male-ccp-fine-with-that/#commentsTue, 04 Jun 2013 08:13:52 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=373239EVE Online developer CCP Games has confirmed that 96% of its player base is male, and that the studio feels it’s because the sci-fi genre is typically a man’s domain.

Speaking with Massively, CCP’s David Reid confirmed the stat, while EVE Online’s senior producer Andie Nordgren suggested that the male dominance is natural. “Part of it is due to the theme of the game,” she suggested. “Science fiction is an extremely male-dominated domain.

“It’s not a goal for us as a development team to specifically increase the number of female players” she said, and added that it’s more, “an indicator than something [to] strive for.”

Do you know any females who play EVE Online? Should CCP look at balancing the playerbase? Let us know what you think below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/04/eve-online-96-of-players-are-male-ccp-fine-with-that/feed/26Eve Online gets Steam log-in, PLEX & subscriptions, Steam Workshop support may followhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/05/31/eve-online-gets-steam-log-in-plex-subscriptions-steam-workshop-support-may-follow/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/31/eve-online-gets-steam-log-in-plex-subscriptions-steam-workshop-support-may-follow/#respondFri, 31 May 2013 08:49:08 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=372252Eve Online developer CCP Games has enabled log-in, PLEX and subscription support via Steam, with Steam Workshop and community hub support currently in consideration at the studio. The additions only apply to new players however.

If you head over to the Eve Online Steam page you can see that both subscription fees and PLEX payments have been added for new players, with plans to roll out to existing players in due course.

In a statement, CCP said, “We first started offering EVE Online on Steam in March 2008. Since then tens of thousands of players entered the EVE universe though this medium, and we want to take this cooperation even further: after all, Steam is the world’s largest gaming platform.

“Other aspects of Steam we are potentially very interested in are the Community Hub and Steam Workshop. Our community team has already started looking into the possibilities here, and we would love to hear your feedback on this as well.”

“We also took an opportunity to clean up the product description for EVE Online, update the artwork, fix the client deployment process and introduce the new Starter Pack for new players instead of a generic game activation key.”

We’ll have more if and when CCP decides to bring these features to existing players.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/31/eve-online-gets-steam-log-in-plex-subscriptions-steam-workshop-support-may-follow/feed/0Eve Online team “dabbling in mobile”, considering companion appshttp://www.vg247.com/2013/05/21/eve-online-team-dabbling-in-mobile-considering-companion-apps/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/21/eve-online-team-dabbling-in-mobile-considering-companion-apps/#respondTue, 21 May 2013 10:51:44 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=368742Eve Online developer CCP Games has confirmed it is toying with the idea of mobile companion apps for its persistent MMO universe. However, it needs to be sure of how it will all work before proceeding.

Speaking with Touch Arcade, EVE Online executive producer Jon Lander said, “We’ve been dabbling in mobile for a long time. But we’ve never really focused on it. We’ve never taken the time to put a clear strategy together about how these things fit in with our universe”.

The studio aims to create an experience accessible across a multitude of formats, and World of Darkness senior producer Chris McDonough confirmed that CCP’s next MMO is being built in a similar fashion.

It’s a studio-wide approach to development, added vice-president of business development Thor Gunnarsson, who said, “Ultimately, our strategy is to create bespoke experiences that are tailored to what our fans are using. Of course, they’re using tablets and smartphones, day-in and day-out. We want to bring another access point to them, wherever they are.”

Lander then stressed that much work was needed to realise this goal, and said, “We’re not a mobile development house yet. We don’t know this stuff. But we can learn.”

What would you like to see out of CCP’s mobile strategy – if it comes to pass? Let us know below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/21/eve-online-team-dabbling-in-mobile-considering-companion-apps/feed/0EVE Fanfest 2013 live stream announced, HD option costs $19.95http://www.vg247.com/2013/03/28/eve-fanfest-2013-live-stream-announced-hd-option-costs-19-95/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/03/28/eve-fanfest-2013-live-stream-announced-hd-option-costs-19-95/#respondThu, 28 Mar 2013 12:38:44 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=353764EVE Fanfest 2013 takes place April 25-27 and developer CCP Games has announced streaming options for those of you unlucky enough to not have a ticket. If you want to watch in HD it will cost you.

In a note sent to VG247 today, CCP announced it would be streaming Fanfest 2013 over on its Twitch channel in standard definition.

If you want to watch in HD it will run you $19.95 or one PLEX in-game item. For your cash you’ll get to watch all of CCP’s panels, lectures, both the EVE and Dust PvP tournaments and the after-party as well.

Here’s a break-down of what you get for your money:

Three full days of high definition programming live from Fanfest

Access to the HD stream of a series of live pre-Fanfest interviews with CCP developers.

A digital copy of the Fanfest “Quafe” Tshirt for EVE Online, which matches the shirt attendees receive

One of fifty copies of the Quafe Scout vk.0 dropsuit for DUST 514—a flashy and effective dropsuit for confident mercenaries

What do you make of the fee and what you get for your cash? Let us know below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/03/28/eve-fanfest-2013-live-stream-announced-hd-option-costs-19-95/feed/0Dust 514 open beta arrives on January 22ndhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/01/14/dust-514-open-beta-arrives-on-january-22nd/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/14/dust-514-open-beta-arrives-on-january-22nd/#commentsMon, 14 Jan 2013 09:31:03 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=329771CCP Games has announced that Dust 514, its PS3-exclusive FPS, will go into open beta on January 22nd. Players will be able to download and enjoy the game for free from this date.

This announcement arrives shortly after CCP Games revealed Dust 514 is using Eve’s Tranquility server.

“The launch of the Dust 514 Open Beta is another step towards our long-term vision for CCP and Eve,” said CCP boss Hilmar Veigar Pétursson.

“But this is just the beginning. As we have done with Eve Online, in the coming weeks, and for years to come, we will continually improve upon and add to the Dust 514 experience, as well as add deeper integration between the two games and their communities.”

CCP has also confirmed those playing in the closed beta won’t have their stats reset. Will any of you guys be getting involved in the action? Let us know.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/14/dust-514-open-beta-arrives-on-january-22nd/feed/1Dust 514 and EvE Online servers will merge tomorrow, CCP confirmshttp://www.vg247.com/2013/01/09/dust-514-and-eve-online-servers-will-merge-tomorrow-ccp-confirms/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/09/dust-514-and-eve-online-servers-will-merge-tomorrow-ccp-confirms/#respondWed, 09 Jan 2013 11:43:35 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=328438Dust 514 and EvE Online servers will become one as of tomorrow, marking the marrying of the PS3 and PC projects after CCP’s console shooter’s lengthy development cycle.

Eurogamer reports that while Dust 514 is still in closed beta, EvE Online players will be able to interact with them.

VG247 spoke with CCP Games at length about Dust 514’s cross-game functionality at gamescom last year. We discussed cross-chat, orbital strikes, cross-game corporations, the way both games share the same economy and more. It’s mind-bogglingly complex, but rather brilliant in tandem.

In a dev blog regarding the server merge, CCP Nullarbor said, “This is a massive technical and game design endeavour and so the overlap in gameplay is intentionally contained for now. It is of course very important that we do not upset the serious business of internet spaceships.”

Money transfers between both games will not be available at the outset however, as the post continues, “So, for this first release, any ISK transfer between EVE and DUST characters will be blocked. This will then be replaced by a taxable transfer mechanism with the intention of easing the currency control to 0% and removing it entirely once we are happy the economies have reached an equilibrium.”

It’s exciting times if you’re a player of either game. If you want to see the impact of EvE ship lasers frying Dust mercs on the ground, check out our video footage post from yesterday.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/09/dust-514-and-eve-online-servers-will-merge-tomorrow-ccp-confirms/feed/0EVE Online gets mad festive trailer, watch it herehttp://www.vg247.com/2012/12/18/eve-online-gets-mad-festive-trailer-watch-it-here/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/12/18/eve-online-gets-mad-festive-trailer-watch-it-here/#respondTue, 18 Dec 2012 15:18:22 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=325638EVE Online has received a rather crazy festive trailer from developer CCP Games ahead of its festive item give-away between December 20-27th. The trailer stars an elf with a plasma rifle burning Santa to a crisp. No joke. Watch it below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/12/18/eve-online-gets-mad-festive-trailer-watch-it-here/feed/0Crytek: ‘F2P could make PS3 the key console’http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/05/crytek-f2p-could-make-ps3-the-key-console/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/05/crytek-f2p-could-make-ps3-the-key-console/#commentsMon, 05 Nov 2012 12:01:35 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=313159Crytek boss Cevat Yerli has discussed why Sony’s move to the free-to-play market could propel PS3 to the top of the console food chain. It comes as his company moves into free-to-play development with Warface and other projects.

Speaking with MCV, Yerli commented on Sony’s interest in the free-to-play space, “Sony making that game is a great step forward, and they should be applauded. If Sony embraces free-to-play as a major way for PlayStation, that could be the key console.”

Yerli’s comments follow Sony’s decision to reposition Singstar as a free-to-play service, and its adoption of CCP Games’ MMOFPS shooter Dust 514. On the latter, CCP’s marketing boss David Reid added, “It’s natural that the console challenger is going to be more ambitious and take more risks than the leader.

“Last generation I was at Xbox and we were having our arses handed to us,” Reid continued, “And Xbox was the one that was trying to do crazy things with Xbox Live and so on. Five years later, things have changed and now Sony is being more aggressive. It is a cyclical business and it feels like we’re coming around to another big turn again.”

What’s your take on the matter? Should console platform holders do more to embrace the industry’s interest in F2P gaming? How could that be achieved? Let us know below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/05/crytek-f2p-could-make-ps3-the-key-console/feed/12EVE Online next expansion announcedhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/10/01/eve-online-next-expansion-announced/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/10/01/eve-online-next-expansion-announced/#respondMon, 01 Oct 2012 04:34:09 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=302022EVE Online Retribution is set for release on 4 December and will offer new ships to pilot, improvements to the game’s bounty hunting system as well as some visual upgrades with added textures.

Thatvideogameblog have also reported talk of a new system called CrimeWatch being added to the game. This apparently makes any criminal activity more visible to others playing the game and therefor makes players more accountable for their actions.

CCP Games

CCP Games has only released one title, the ambitious and punishing space MMO EVE Online. The game launched in May 2003 and is now approaching its 10th anniversary.

Dust 514 is the studio’s second game, which is an FPS that exists in the same universe as EVE Online. Both games share the same economy and sovereignty systems, meaning players in both games can impact the shared world.

The shared economy is so intricate and vast that CCP Games hired Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson, an economic expert who oversees the world and to make sure the market doesn’t crash.

Dust 514’s skill tree is so vast it will take – on average – seven years to learn every skill in the game, according to CCP Games.

EVE Online is a mind-bending conundrum to anyone who hasn’t played the game. It’s world is a harsh place with minimal rule-sets, giving rise to player-driven factions, a fully functioning economy and the chance to betray, lie, cheat and steal your way to prominence. It’s the law of the jungle, and for many, it’s an off-putting prospect.

CCP Games did all of this on purpose of course, to essentially forge a world and the tools needed of players to dictate the game. That is a rare thing, and in many ways it can be considered one of the greatest social experiments the games industry has ever known, even if some gamers feel intimidated by it.

In Dust 514 – which will launch sometime this year exclusively on PS3 – the Icelandic developer is offering those fringe gamers a chance to experience the world of EVE Online from a more accessible FPS format, while giving them the same depth if they choose to engage in it.

The real attraction is that the worlds of Dust 514 and EVE Online will co-exist as one, meaning that they share an economy, and directly influence one another. EVE Online ships in can even orbit a Dust 514 planet and fire down on the surface to help corporations win battles. It’s the first time this has ever happened in a game.

But still the mind boggles when trying to comprehend what is possible in Dust 514, so to help make sense of CCP’s innovations, VG247 spoke with the studio technical director Richard Smith, as well as playing a string of battles. In the end, everything is now much clearer.

The Dust 514 experience starts in your own private quarters, and it’s here that you will upgrade your mercenary’s Dropsuit with skills, acquire new weapons, buy new gear on the marketplace or coordinate battles with your corporation. It’s key to point out that corporations aren’t set by CCP, they’re made by players, so you’re free to work for whichever group you want, or even start your own one.

A Place To Call Home

Smith shed some light on your personal living space, and the War Room, which is essentially a free-roam lobby that you can walk around while waiting for battles to commence, “You have your own quarters which is your own personal space within the universe. It’s on board a space station orbiting around a planet. The War Room is where everyone is walking around, like a lobby while everyone is waiting to go into a battle”

“From there you can see a star map that shows all of the systems in the EVE universe,” Smith added, “and it’ also a place where you go after battles to update your skills, spend your ISK and outfit your character however you want. We are planning a feature that will allow you to invite friends to your home quarters, but we don’t let people just barge in and starting running around.”

“All of the levels take place on Dust 514 and in districts on planets within the EVE Online universe.”

It’s a neat system that feels much better than simply staring at a lobby menu while the match counter runs down. You can also chat with any Dust 514 or EVE Online players at any time using cross-game chat, which is useful for coordinating strategies and deciding which planets and facilities your corporation wants to capture next.

“All of the levels take place on Dust 514 and in districts on planets within the EVE Online universe,” Smith explained, “so what you see in the Battlefinder are matches that have been put out by corporations who want to invite any mercenary – anyone can join in – to fight on their behalf.”

“While working for a corporation you’ll also have corporation battles,” Smith continued, “which you can also take part in. So normally if you are assigned to a corporation you can be sent to battles wherever your leader has asked you to take part. Those are just some of the game modes you can expect.”

“Using the Star Map you can also look at planets and see where these battles are taking place, but if you prefer to play close to home – as in where your corporation calls home – you can fight on their behalf and try to capture areas that will benefit your corporation in a particular star system.”

Power Struggle

We’re EVE Online and Dust 514 virgins so we were still confused about a few things, but as Smith told us, sovereignty is one of the most vital aspects of both games, because in EVE Online, ruling planets and regions of space will make you a force to be reckoned with. The notion of vying for territory very much rings true in Dust 514 as well.

Smith summarises the reason corporations do battle at all, “In EVE Online we already have a notion of sovereignty over planets and that sovereignty gives a number of benefits – political benefits – but also economic traits, such as being able to extract resources from planets if you own an entire solar system.”

“But I think it’s almost like Monopoly in which if you own properties and upgrade them, then you get more cash coming in from them.” Smith added, “On the EVE side there is a theme of wanting to own these planets, and we’ve seen a lot of EVE players getting really excited about the prospects of Dust 514.”

“One of the things you need in Dust are resource plants that give your corporation valuable produce, but you also need day to day things like power plants, waste processing, communication towers and this kind of stuff.”

“One you control property it will give your corporation benefits,” Smith comtinued, “If you control a particular installation on a planet – maybe a mining outpost – it will give you a particular type of resource, and when anyone fights over that territory in the future, its your infrastructure that’s at risk. So you will see that corporation sending Dust mercs down on the ground to defend it.

We start to play a Dust 514 battle that sees our team fighting for dominance over a waste disposal facility. It’s early days so the map isn’t fully populated, but there is a similar sense of teamwork, large terrains and vehicular combat that fans of Battlefield may get a similar kick out of.

The gunplay is slick but we turn to Smith and ask why risking our character’s life for a simple waste disposal plant will help our corporation further its goals, “This whole area around the facility is a ‘district’, a 25 square kilometre map, and in the middle we have an outpost than can be captured – in this instance it’s the waste disposal plant.”

“One of the things you need in Dust are resource plants that give your corporation valuable produce, but you also need day to day things like power plants, waste processing, communication towers and this kind of stuff,” Smith added.

Death From Above

We’re getting into the swing of combat now, which will feel intuitive to any FPS veteran and all of a sudden Smith gets excited at something happening on our HUD. As it happens, an EVE Online player has entered our planet’s orbit and is available to fire an Orbital Strike down against the opposite team.

Smith explains the importance of these precision strikes, “The Orbital Strike is the first step towards Orbital Bombardment, and that’s where you’re a corp member as a Dust mercenary and you have other corp members up in space orbiting around the planet you’re fighting on.”

“You basically call in support by painting a target on the map, and then in the PC game of EVE Online, there will be a target on that planet that an EVE player will fire upon using Orbital Bombardment, which is basically this super weapon that is ten times the power of an Orbital Strike.”

Smith continued, “You can coordinate this with EVE players as you’ve got the same chat and text comms between the two games, so you could be a player in Dust on the planet talking to an EVE pilot in space at the same time. It’s a really cool connection between both games, and it’s not just he ability for EVE players to shoot down at planets, because Dust mercs are able to construct orbital artillery as defences, so if a hostile EVE player tries to get close to a planet with orbital artillery, they will be fired upon.”

With most things in EVE Online and Dust 514, coordination among corp members is the key to efficient dominance over the universe. Smith explained how communication factors into strategies.

“We have to be very careful when bringing EVE and Dust together to make sure that we don’t unbalance EVE. We have hundreds of thousands of EVE players who have invested years of their life into it and essentially creating what the EVE universe is today.”

“You can speak with players in either game at any time over email, text or voice chat in order to synchronise what’s going on, but EVE players will need to get into orbit around the planet to fire. They can open up the Battle Finder to see what battles are going on around planets at any time, as well as when other battles are due to start. So you could say to an EVE player, ‘hey this battle is about to start in a couple of minutes time. You’re only a few minutes away, we need your support here.'”

It’s an incredible thing to witness – actual convergence between two separate games. It works too, and isn’t just some flashy gimmick that gets old really fast. Not only that, but the game has a shared economy, something Smith is keen to explain to us in more detail.

“We have to be very careful when bringing EVE and Dust together to make sure that we don’t unbalance EVE,” Smith warned, “We have hundreds of thousands of EVE players who have invested years of their life into it and essentially creating what the EVE universe is today.”

Need Creates Greed

” At the moment both marketplaces go through the same technical systems” Smith added, but at the moment you can’t see EVE items on the Dust marketplace. What we plan to introduce is further integration in the future, and we’d like to see the ability for EVE and Dust players to trade items together, or for corporations to manufacture some of the weapons in the game. So effectively they’d be cutting CCP out as the middleman that supplies weapons, and they’re making their own weapons for their Dust mercs to use on the battlefield.”

Once again we’re impressed at just how much power actually rests in the hands of gamers. Everyone is crucial to the way the world shared between both games is run, and that every action has an impact on prevalent traits, such as the universe economy.

We suggest to Smith that the games together could become something of an industry in itself, and he wholeheartedly agreed, “Yeah, all of this happens in EVE already, and that’s what makes it feel very real. You have people acting as middle-men, warehouse operators, sellers of goods and all of this stuff that you see happening in the real world, as it’s an economy that abides by the same kind of rules that real-world companies do.”

“You have people acting as middle-men, warehouse operators, sellers of goods and all of this stuff that you see happening in the real world, as it’s an economy that abides by the same kind of rules that real-world companies do.”

“We’re planning on having the same on the Dust side as the EVE side,” Smith continued, “and again it’s one of the reasons we have to have our own in-house economics professor, Dr. Eyjolfur Gudmundsson, who monitors the health of the EVE and Dust economies, and to make sure that we don’t get into hyperinflation or a credit crunch within the universe.”

‘Hyperinflation’, ‘industry’, ‘economy’. The fact that these words are even being used to describe a game shows just how vast and powerful both EVE Online and Dust 514 can be, and just like the real world, sometimes those systems can be unfair.

Smith tells us that while life in EVE Online can often feel unfair – just like the real world – Dust 514’s balancing mechanics exist to make things more bearable for the uninitiated, “During our beta testing we’ve been doing work on our weapon classes to make sure that no one class is more powerful than others, because we want to make sure that there’s no one perfect thing that everyone gravitates towards.”

Life Isn’t Fair

Smith added, “That would just make the game very dull, but it is a bit like rock, paper, scissors with strategies and counter-strategies, as well as making squads and tactics complimentary to our sets of skills. There are infinite possibilities in the way that you play the game, and no one way can be stronger than the others.”

“Our matchmaking also means that you are playing against player of a similar skill and equipment level,” Smith continued. “so it’s not quite the same as EVE where we do things a little more free-form, in that people can have massively more powerful ships that you.”

“We’re really starting to integrate both of those communities together, and it’s the kind of integration you just don’t get anywhere else.”

“If you want that experience of going into the ‘wild west’ of EVE Online and testing your ability, you can go into low-security space where there is no matchmaking, and where rewards are bigger. But there are greater risks because you could fly out there and all of a sudden it’s you versus 24 guys.”

Even after all that we’ve learned from our time talking with Smith and playing Dust 514, several questions remain, and it still feels like casual gamers will balk at the intricacy at hand. In closing our session, Smith explained that in fact, more players are taking a shine to Dust 514 just because it’s more palatable.

“We’re hearing from a lot of players who really like the ideas in Dust 514, but who perhaps didn’t find EVE Online to be accessible. So the community is saying to those on the fence, you know, ‘hey let’s jump in to a quick battle on Dust 514 on PS3.'”

“People can play across both game together,” Smith concluded “it’s got social features such as world text chat between games, and a messaging system that lets you send messages to players on both sides, so we’re really starting to integrate both of those communities together, and it’s the kind of integration you just don’t get anywhere else.”

He’s right, you don’t get this kind of interaction anywhere else, and it’s something that will either see players eager to get involved once the game finally launches, or its ambition will be lost on many people who simply don’t understand how it all works.

Either way, it will be interesting to see how players dictate the form and functions of Dust 514’s world once it launches, and VG247 will be there to find out how it all goes down. Stay tuned for more as CCP gets closer to launch.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/09/23/dust-514-vs-eve-online-when-worlds-collide/feed/0Dust 514 beta keys: 1,000 up for grabs now!http://www.vg247.com/2012/09/05/dust-514-beta-keys-1000-up-for-grabs-now/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/09/05/dust-514-beta-keys-1000-up-for-grabs-now/#commentsWed, 05 Sep 2012 08:10:53 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=293825Dust 514 beta keys! They work today! We have 1,000 to give away for the PS3-exclusive shooter, so get in quick to avoid disappointment.

UPDATE: We’re getting a lot of reports from US gamers saying the keys don’t work. We’re assuming the codes are EU-only, but we’re been told nothing about any region specifics by the people that organised the giveaway. We’ll get confirmation this morning. For now, assume that they only work in Europe.

To get your beta key – remember, Dust 514 is a PS3 exclusive – you need to enter in the box below. Enter your name and email address. You’re then required to tweet about the competition. Once that happens, your email address is sent to us. Provided we haven’t handed them all out, you’ll then be sent a beta code by email at some point today.

Merging with the world of EVE Online, Dust 514 is the first PS3 shooter to ever co-exist within a PC MMO. It’s full of magic and technical tricks even we don’t fully understand. We suspect CCP are wizards of some kind.

Dust 514 is an MMO shooter in which players battle for dominance over the sprawling game world. Everything counts, from capturing territories, amassing funds and working with players within EVE Online.

For example, if you’re trying to capture a facility in Dust 514 and the battle isn’t going so well, you can contact your friend in EVE Online for assistance from within your chat window.

The EVE player can then orbit around the planet you’re fighting on and launch an orbital strike on your enemies – all in real-time, not scripted and running across both games simultaneously.

What are you waiting for? Enter in the box above. We’ll start sending the keys out by email this morning.

IMPORTANT:

Keys are active from today and can be redeemed through your PS3.

Have fun, and let us know what you think of Dust 514. We also have a huge Dust 514 interview and feature coming soon, so stay tuned.

Big thanks to CCP Games for the codes.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/09/05/dust-514-beta-keys-1000-up-for-grabs-now/feed/61Dust 514 beta open to PS Plus members tomorrowhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/08/21/dust-514-beta-open-to-ps-plus-members-tomorrow/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/08/21/dust-514-beta-open-to-ps-plus-members-tomorrow/#respondTue, 21 Aug 2012 11:17:36 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=288486Dust 514 will enter a beta phase for PS Plus members from tomorrow. Subscribers can also take advantage of discounted DLC content if they play during this latest beta phase.

Over at PS Blog EU, CCP community manager CmdrWang announced the news, “From tomorrow, Wednesday 22nd August, we will be inviting all the SCEE PlayStation Plus Members to join the Dust 514 closed beta. This is a unique chance to experience the ground-breaking MMO shooter from CCP – the makers of EVE Online – and connect with PC gamers together in the EVE Online universe.”

Everyone taking part will get a 50% discount on the Dust 514 Mercenary Pack, containing many unique items for just £7.

The beta will close 5th September so you have a few weeks to sample Dust 514’s massive world and mind-melting economy.